The Manchester United defender spent the second half of last season on loan at Sunderland, helping them win the Championship.

And now he has returned on loan until the end of this season to help Sunderland stay in the top flight.

Evans has had a difficult month after being questioned about an allegation of rape following the Man United players’ Christmas party

He is currently on police bail until February 23.

But Keane is obviously confident enough that the 20-year-old will not face charges to bring him to Sunderland.

Benno says Keane is right to put everything else to one side and concentrate on bringing in Evans for footballing reasons alone.

He said: “Roy has done the right thing to bring Jonny in. He’s been brought here for football reasons, that’s what counts. Hopefully those things in his personal life will be sorted out soon and won’t affect him.

“Jonny was a star performer last season and was excellent when we won the Championship, but this will be another step up for him. Seeing him arrive is a great start, but we still need more quality players.”